Category Strategy: Short-Term Production in High Supply

Two players don't really qualify for this article, but are worth checking for on your wire, just in case. I don't want to unfairly get anyone's hopes up, but Gordon Hayward is healthy and available in 8 percent of ESPN leagues and 6 percent of Yahoo! leagues (sorry CBS-ers, he's already fully owned). Hayward has been a top-60 player for the last two seasons. He's a season-changing addition if he has somehow fallen through the cracks in your league.

Darren Collison returns from suspension Tuesday and will step in as the starting point guard for the Kings. He is available in 39 percent of ESPN leagues and 19 percent of Yahoo! leagues (again, sorry CBS-ers, but way to be on the ball!).

A whopping 17 teams play four games this week. That high number of games increases the value of players on teams who play Thursday and Sunday in daily lineup leagues without games maximums, since those days have the fewest games this week. The Lakers, Nuggets, and Warriors play both days.

The Bucks, Grizzlies, and Mavericks play only two games this week, which saps some of the appeal from several otherwise-enticing waiver prospects that each team offers. Ten teams play three games: Cavaliers, Celtics, Hawks, Heat, Kings, Knicks, Nets, Raptors, Rockets, and Spurs.

Points

C.J. Miles, Pacers
(Ownership: ESPN – 14%; Yahoo! – 31%; CBS – 30%)

Recommended with extreme caution, but recommended nonetheless. Miles has played at least 20 minutes in every game since the opener, though he has yet to play more than 24. He has scored at least 15 in four out of five. He is averaging more than two threes per game. The problem is this is a completely unsustainable hot streak for Miles. He's shooting an incredible 55.0 percent from the field – made all the more remarkable since Miles is a career 41.7 percent shooter, who has not surpassed 45 percent in a season since 2008-09. He's hot, and chipping in enough in other categories to be a reasonable start for now. Enjoy his 14.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.2 threes, 1.0 assists, and 1.2 steals for as long as he can make it last. Just don't hesitate to drop him when the wheels inevitably fall off: if he maintains his current volume of attempts, but regresses to his career field goal percentage, he will fall to barely 10 points a game.

Other suggestions: Louis Williams, Lakers; JJ Barea, Mavericks; Wilson Chandler, Nuggets; Nick Young, Lakers; Tyler Johnson, Heat

Three-Pointers

Ersan Ilyasova, 76ers
(Ownership: ESPN – 7%; Yahoo! – 19%; CBS – 49%)

In two games since joining the 76ers, Ilyasova has averaged 25.5 minutes and 17.5 points on the back of his 3.0 threes per game. Ilyasova has shot 37 percent from behind the arc throughout his career. The 76ers gave up a Jerami Grant, a promising youngster, in exchange for Ilyasova, and they need Ilyasova's shooting to spread the floor for their otherwise drive-heavy offense. The 76ers' frontcourt is already somewhat crowded – also featuring Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor, and Dario Saric – and will only get more constrained as Embiid's and Okafor's minutes restrictions are raised and Nerlens Noel (knee) and Ben Simmons (foot) near their returns.

While that leads to uncertainty down the road, Ilyasova was brought in for his ability to make the team better now, which improves his likelihood of maintaining a rotational role beyond the short term. He was brought here to shoot threes, and even if his workload eventually decreases, he should continue to provide outside production.

Langston Galloway also warrants mention here after posting back-to-back games with four threes. While I may be a subscriber to the subreddit devoted to Galloway (r/langstongalloway), I can only recommend picking him up in the very deepest of leagues right now. If he maintains roughly 25 minutes or more for a few more games, then he can be considered in standard size leagues.

Other suggestions: Channing Frye, Cavaliers; Bojan Bogdanovic, Nets; JJ Barea, Mavericks; Louis Williams, Lakers; Nick Young, Lakers; Maurice Harkless, Trail Blazers

Rebounds

Matt Barnes, Kings
(Ownership: ESPN – 14%; Yahoo! – 23%; CBS – 24%)

While there are probably several big men available who may grab more rebounds than Barnes, Barnes' 5.0 per game can be more valuable since they come from the small forward spot. Barnes' production can be inconsistent, and his low scoring is often hard to stomach. Yet few are capable of producing across as wide a range of categories. Other than points and field goal percentage, he can provide value across the board (while he only has one block so far this season, his career average is half a block per game). Rebounds are typically Barnes' most prolific area, and he has already posted games of 10, 8, and 7 rebounds while playing at leass than 100 percent. Barnes is a great player for any team punting points and a serviceable player for teams in need of rebounds, assists, and threes.

Other suggestions: Tyson Chandler, Suns; Trevor Booker, Nets; Andrew Bogut, Mavericks;

Assists

Sergio Rodriguez, 76ers
(Ownership: ESPN – 26%; Yahoo! – 52%; CBS – 78%)

I mentioned Rodriguez briefly last week, but this week he has my full attention. Rodriguez is 30, and has playing professional basketball since 2003, mostly in Spain. He played four NBA seasons, 2006-2010, before returning to join the 76ers this season. Everywhere he has gone, he has been a talented passer. He is currently sixth in the league in assists per game, averaging 8.2 in 29.3 minutes. His workload has been stable, playing between 28 and 32 minutes in five of the first six games – he played 26 minutes in the sixth game, one of the 76ers' uglier losses. He has at least five assists in every game. Rodriguez seems locked in as the 76ers primary distributor, at least until Simmons returns, and perhaps longer. He may have some low scoring nights, but his contributions are not limited to assists – he is also valuable in threes and rebounds. His ownership has more than doubled in the past week in ESPN, and in Yahoo! and CBS he is already stretching the limits of what gets included in this article. He won't be around much longer.

Other suggestions: Ish Smith, Pistons; JJ Barea, Mavericks; Zaza Pachulia, Warriors

Steals

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Nets
(Ownership: ESPN – 8%; Yahoo! – 59%; CBS – 43%)

Hollis-Jefferson was a highly touted offseason prospect, but his ownership fell off a cliff when he started the season with four consecutive games of only one made field goal. Hollis-Jefferson was never expected to be a prolific scorer, but he also averaged a disappointing 24.0 minutes per game through his first three games, and he wasn't providing in the supplementary categories in which he was expected to thrive. He looked like a total flop. Well, perhaps we are on the brink of a turnaround. In his last two games, Hollis-Jefferson has combined for six steals. He has played at least 30 minutes in two of the last three games, his assists have increased, and on Friday he posted his season high in rebounds. Hollis-Jefferson's specialty is his ability to take the ball away. While he is not yet a waiver-wire must-add for all teams, he is a high-upside prospect for anyone in need of steals.

Other suggestions: Thabo Sefolosha, Hawks; Trevor Booker, Nets

Blocks

Terrence Jones, Pelicans
(Ownership: ESPN – 9%; Yahoo! – 51%; CBS – 70%)

I'd like to take you on a quick journey through time. 'Twas the start of a new calendar, of new hope, the year 2014. And all through the land, fantasy teams were shooting up the rankings, buoyed by the ephemeral star that was Kentucky's – what, maybe, seventh? – most-touted prospect of the last three seasons. Jones was an unpredictable enigma – in one stretch, interrupting a string of double-doubles with a six-point performance. Later, he scored 73 points in four games, and scored only two in the fifth. In the sixth game he was back with 14 points, but no rebounds. Owning him was as exhilarating as it was frustrating. But those who stuck with him were generally rewarded: between Christmas and the game before the All-Star break, Jones averaged 14.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 1.3 assists. Years later, though Jones has yet to recreate that level of production, his star may once again be on the rise. He has played 28 minutes in back-to-back games, and produced solid multi-categorical value including averaging 3.0 blocks. Throughout Jones' career he has averaged roughly one block every 20 minutes on the floor, and his amount of court time has increased in recent games.

Other suggestions: Maurice Harkless, Trail Blazers

Field Goal Percentage

Josh Richardson, Heat
(Ownership: ESPN – 2%; Yahoo! – 31%; CBS – 34%)

Richardson's sophomore season kicked off Friday after he missed the first several games of the year while recovering from knee surgery. While his season got off to an inauspicious start, Richardson has potential to make waves in the fantasy world. His rookie season started slowly, logging 30 DNPs, and averaging only 11.5 minutes when he did play, before the All-Star break. But after the break, Richarson didn't miss another game. He averaged 29.1 minutes, 10.2 points on 50.0 percent field goal shooting, 2.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.7 threes, and 1.0 steals. Efficient shooting was one of Richardson's calling cards in college – during his last three years at Tennessee, Richardson shot between 46-48 percent from the field. He may face a minutes restriction as he eases back into action, but once healthy Richardson figures to take up meaningful minutes along Miami's wing.

Other suggestions: Tyler Johnson, Heat; Tyson Chandler, Suns; Cody Zeller, Hornets

Free Throw Percentage

Lou Williams, Lakers
(Ownership: ESPN – 37%; Yahoo! – 57%; CBS – 57%)

Preseason optimism surrounding the Lakers' young backcourt pairing of D'Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson made the fantasy community all but forget about Williams. Williams is a proven quantity, and while he has his shortcomings, he also has some hard-to-find abilities. Williams is averaging 25.5 minutes per game over the last week, during which time he is shooting 81.3 percent on 4.0 attempts from the line. As long as Williams has a stable role in the rotation, he can make an impact on your team's free throw shooting. I mentioned J.J. Barea last week, but the point needs to be re-emphasized. Barea is averaging 4.2 attempts per game, and has missed only one free throw this season.

Other suggestions: J.J. Barea, Mavericks; Bojan Bogdanovic, Nets; Nick Young, Lakers; Doug McDermott, Bulls; Malcolm Brogdon, Bucks